7
9. Wear personal protective equipment. Depending
on application, use face shield, safety goggles
or safety glasses. As appropriate, wear dust
mask, hearing protectors, gloves and shop
apron capable of stopping small abrasive or
workpiece fragments. The eye protection must be
capable of stopping flying debris generated by
various operations. The dust mask or respirator
must be capable of filtrating particles generated by
your operation. Prolonged exposure to high intensity
noise may cause hearing loss.
10. Keep bystanders a safe distance away from work
area. Anyone entering the work area must wear
personal protective equipment. Fragments of
workpiece or of a broken wheel may fly away and
cause injury beyond immediate area of operation.
11. Hold the power tool by insulated gripping
surfaces only, when performing an operation
where the cutting accessory may contact hidden
wiring or its own cord. Cutting accessory
contacting a “live” wire may make exposed metal
parts of the power tool “live” and could give the
operator an electric shock.
12. Position the cord clear of the spinning
accessory. If you lose control, the cord may be cut
or snagged and your hand or arm may be pulled into
the spinning wheel.
13. Never lay the power tool down until the
accessory has come to a complete stop. The
spinning wheel may grab the surface and pull the
power tool out of your control.
14. Do not run the power tool while carrying it at
your side. Accidental contact with the spinning
accessory could snag your clothing, pulling the
accessory into your body.
15. Regularly clean the power tool’s air vents. The
motor’s fan will draw the dust inside the housing and
excessive accumulation of powdered metal may
cause electrical hazards.
16. Do not operate the power tool near flammable
materials. Sparks could ignite these materials.
17. Do not use accessories that require liquid
coolants. Using water or other liquid coolants may
result in electrocution or shock.
Kickback and related warnings
Kickback is a sudden reaction to a pinched or snagged
rotating wheel. Pinching or snagging causes rapid
stalling of the rotating wheel which in turn causes the
uncontrolled power tool to be forced in the direction
opposite of the wheel’s rotation at the point of the
binding.
For example, if an abrasive wheel is snagged or pinched
by the workpiece, the edge of the wheel that is entering
into the pinch point can dig into the surface of the
material causing the wheel to climb out or kick out. The
wheel may either jump toward or away from the operator,
depending on direction of the wheel’s movement at the
point of pinching. Abrasive wheels may also break under
these conditions.
Kickback is the result of power tool misuse and/or
incorrect operating procedures or conditions and can be
avoided by taking proper precautions as given below.
a) Maintain a firm grip on the power tool and
position your body and arm to allow you to
resist kickback forces. Always use auxiliary
handle, if provided, for maximum control
over kickback or torque reaction during start-
up. The operator can control torque reactions or
kickback forces, if proper precautions are taken.
b) Never place your hand near the rotating
accessory. Accessory may kickback over your
hand.
c) Do not position your body in line with the
rotating wheel. Kickback will propel the tool in
direction opposite to the wheel’s movement at
the point of snagging.
d) Use special care when working corners,
sharp edges etc. Avoid bouncing and
snagging the accessory. Corners, sharp edges
or bouncing have a tendency to snag the rotating
accessory and cause loss of control or kickback.
e) Do not attach a saw chain, woodcarving
blade, segmented diamond wheel with a
peripheral gap greater than 10 mm or toothed
saw blade.
Such blades create frequent
kickback and loss of control.
f) Do not “jam” the wheel or apply excessive
pressure. Do not attempt to make an
excessive depth of cut. Overstressing the
wheel increases the loading and susceptibility to
twisting or binding of the wheel in the cut and the
possibility of kickback or wheel breakage.
g) When wheel is binding or when interrupting a
cut for any reason, switch off the power tool
and hold the power tool motionless until the
wheel comes to a complete stop. Never
attempt to remove the wheel from the cut
while the wheel is in motion otherwise
kickback may occur. Investigate and take
corrective action to eliminate the cause of wheel
binding.
h) Do not restart the cutting operation in the
workpiece. Let the wheel reach full speed
and carefully re-enter the cut. The wheel may
bind, walk up or kickback if the power tool is
restarted in the workpiece.
i) Support panels or any oversized workpiece
to minimize the risk of wheel pinching and
kickback. Large workpieces tend to sag under
their own weight. Supports must be placed under
the workpiece near the line of cut and near the
edge of the workpiece on both sides of the
wheel.
j) Use extra caution when making a “pocket
cut” into existing walls or other blind areas.
The protruding wheel may cut gas or water
pipes, electrical wiring or objects that can cause
kickback.
18. Before using a segmented diamond wheel, make
sure that the diamond wheel has the peripheral
gap between segments of 10 mm or less, only
with a negative rake angle.
